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Entries in School Vouchers
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Maggie Hassan Is Against School Vouchers

WASHINGTON – With the school year coming to a close, the NRSC is starting a series reminding voters that elitist Governor Maggie Hassan opposes school vouchers which would enable students to attend the school that fits them best.

“Every child should be able to attend the school that fits them best, but Maggie Hassan disagrees as she voted against school vouchers,” said NRSC spokesman Jahan Wilcox. “Hassan’s elitist view that big government should dictate which school each child attends is fundamentally wrong.”

BACKGROUND …

In May 2006, The New Hampshire State Senate Approved Legislation That Would Create A Scholarship Foundation To Provide School Vouchers For Low-Income Families. “Low-income families would be eligible for vouchers to send their children to better schools under a plan approved by the state Senate on Thursday. The bill calls for spending $250,000 to start a quasi-private foundation that would solicit donations for scholarships that low-income families could use for tuition at private schools or public schools outside their district. It also would streamline state funding for existing charter schools and provide $400,000 in startup money for new ones. Several Senate Democrats said as much as they supported those provisions, they could not vote for a bill that included vouchers.” (“Senate Approves School Vouchers,” The Associated Press, 5/5/06)

The Legislation Established A Quasi-Private Foundation To Collect Donations For Scholarships. “The bill calls for spending $250,000 to start a quasi-private foundation that would solicit donations for scholarships that low-income families could use for tuition at private schools or public schools outside their district. It also would streamline state funding for existing charter schools and provide $400,000 in startup money for new ones. Several Senate Democrats said as much as they supported those provisions, they could not vote for a bill that included vouchers.” (“Senate Approves School Vouchers,” The Associated Press, 5/5/06)

In May 2006, Hassan Voted Against Legislation That Would Appropriate $250,000 To Create A Public-Private Foundation To Provide Scholarships For New Hampshire Students For Private Or Public Schools. “An Act relative to distribution of state aid to charter schools and relative to funding for charter schools.” (H.B. 76, Roll Call Vote #124, Motion To Pass Adopted 15-8, 5/4/06, Hassan Voted Nay; Senate Journal 14, 5/4/06, pg. 579)

In 2012 the New Hampshire legislature overrode Democrat Gov. Lynch’s veto and passed the Opportunity Scholarship Act, a law intended to give the children from poor and medium income families the opportunity to get the same educational opportunities that the children of Gov. Lynch and so many of his well-heeled political and union boss friends enjoy. This pro-educational choice law allows businesses to give a very limited amount of their pretax dollars to private charities set up to give all but a small percentage of the funds they receive to educate children from families earning no more than 300% of the federal poverty line.

Ever since this law came into effect, vested educational industry interests, led by those who do not have to send their children to failing schools, have tried to reverse Gov. Lynch’s failed gubernatorial veto with a judicial veto. They forum-shopped for a favorable judge. They had that judge issue a decision limiting the law based on premise that would make any liberal smile: he said, in effect, that all your money first belongs to the government, so if government leaves some to you after taxes with the knowledge that you might spend it on a religious-based education, then government is supporting religion.

This trial court decision has now been subject to review in the New Hampshire Supreme Court and fortunately, it was reversed. The decision found the plaintiffs lack standing to be in court challenging this law. As a consequent, the Supreme Court overturned this clearly erroneous decision.

The Supreme Court today rejected the trial court’s decision that in effect would have told the NH Legislature to be hostile and not neutral toward religions. Our state constitution does not lay the foundation for such a radical and harmful government.

New Hampshire scholarship students will be able to attend the schools of their choice. They and their parents will decide and if their decisions are for religious schools or secular schools, it will be up to them and not up to vested education industry interests trying to corral all students into failed government schools.

Decades of union and liberal tinkering and reforms have tainted the splendor of what was a public education system that was the envy of the world. We must do better for our children. We must expand the education choices available to all families, even those not as rich as the present and past New Hampshire governors opposing educational choice and the lead plaintiff in the Duncan case. The journey to a better education for our children must and will continue.

Manchester, NH – After the New Hampshire Supreme Court decided earlier today not to rule on the constitutionality of the reckless and irresponsible education voucher law, New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley issued the following statement:

“It is disappointing that the New Hampshire Supreme Court refused to rule on the reckless, fiscally irresponsible and unconstitutional education voucher law that could dismantle New Hampshire public schools.

“Already, two lower courts have found the law to be in violation of the state's constitution.

“This disastrous education voucher law funnels public funding to unaccountable out of state right-wing groups bent on destroying our public education system and hampers our state's ability to provide Granite State students the education they deserve.

“The education voucher law also irresponsibly shifts burdensome costs to local communities and forces property tax payers to foot the bill.

“Republicans like Walt Havenstein and Andrew Hemingway who support this misguided and right-wing education voucher law will have to answer to Granite State voters why they want to raise their property taxes and undermine their public education.”

Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, Jim Rubens, joins the broad opposition of the nomination of William Duncan to the New Hampshire Board of Education and issued the following statement:

“William Duncan is not a suitable school leader because he opposes giving deserving parents control over where their children go to school. He opposes the single most promising set of school reforms seen in New Hampshire over the past twenty years: charter schools and scholarships. Charter schools are showing how thousands more New Hampshire students can reach their full potential in diverse learning environments at half the cost per student.

Rubens is author of New Hampshire's charter school law and supports a national school voucher program for deserving students.

WASHINGTON, D.C.(July 21, 2013) – The American Federation for Children (AFC), the nation’s voice for educational choice, today applauded the North Carolina Legislature for creating the nation’s newest statewide voucher program, the third created this year. AFC encouraged legislators to remain committed to expanding the program, to ensure thousands of children from low-income families will have access to quality educational options. North Carolina’s new Opportunity Scholarship Act received bipartisan support and was included as part of the budget bill which cleared conference committee and is expected to pass both chambers before being presented to the governor. The program is tailored to children who participate in the federal free or reduced lunch program. “North Carolina took a historic and positive step forward by creating this initial educational choice program and we remain committed to ensuring the program expands in order to provide greater access for children from low-income families who are in need of quality educational options,” said Betsy DeVos, chairman of the American Federation for Children. “The bipartisan support for educational choice demonstrates the importance of this common sense education reform that empowers parents and puts kids first.”

Low-income families who qualify will be able to use a $4,200 voucher to send their child to the school of their choice. The program also includes strong testing and accountability measures.In addition, the North Carolina Senate last week passed House Bill 269, known as the “Children with Disabilities Scholarship Grant,” which provides up to $6,000 to children with disabilities to pay for private school tuition or related special educational services. These important education reforms were aided by the strong local support and leadership of Darrell Allison and his team at Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina (PEFNC).“Parents and children across North Carolina and school choice advocates nationwide are grateful for the efforts of PEFNC and the bipartisan members of the legislature who fought to pass educational choice in North Carolina," said Kevin P. Chavous, executive counsel for AFC. "We are certain that the program will be substantially oversubscribed by parents anxious to obtain better educational options for their children and we urge the legislature and Governor McCrory to continue their efforts to expand parental choice and help more disadvantaged children across the state."

The American Federation for Children is the nation's leading school choice advocacy organization and works in states across the country to help secure additional, high-quality educational options for families.